Capire il Territorio attraverso l’e-Governance: Il Caso di Studio di Genova

Understanding the Territory Using e-Governance: The Genoa Case Study Abstract Participatory tools are an important challenge to local communities to promote a new concept of the territory management. In the digital era, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and web-based services can play an important role in this context. This study presents a methodological framework for e-governance which has been used in the context of a specific case study built for an Italian city (Genoa). The case study is part of the EU FP6 Project ISAAC “Integrated e-Services for Advanced Access to Heritage in Cultural Tourist Destinations”. The method is designed to involve different stakeholders – residents, tourist, service providers and decision-makers –in the management of the territory and the urban cultural heritage, built on user preferences and satisfaction. The model proposed has been used first to identify the cultural sites taking into account the perceptions of the different stakeholders, as well as to recognize the intangible values linked with the territory based on the personal interpretation of the territory. Secondly, a “desired” level of participation and interactivity of the on line services has been defined, based on individual preferences. Results show that e-participation processes are still insufficiently developed and recognised by the different stakeholders. Citizens are aware of the potential of the web as an instrument to provide information in passive attitude. Enabling the communication among citizens and the public administrations is also appreciated. However, the use of the web to improve decision-making of the territory in a participatory process is much lagging behind.